Cigar lighter



Amon R69 E932. J. F. RQGERS ET AL. L

` GIGAR LIGHTER Filed sept. 28, 1929 30 ifi @1% THEIR TTORN Patented Ang. 16,v 1932 narra STATES PATENT OFFICE JAMES l5'K y.lROGrERS, OF NORTH ATTLEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, ANDEDWRD F. CLARK, OF RANGELEY, MAINE, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T ABT METAL WORKS, ENC., 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY.

crean LIGHTER Application filed September 28, 1929. Serial No. 395,804.

This invention relates to a novel single operation cigar lighter construction. One of the objects of this invention is the provision of a novel cigar lighter structure having single operation means to ignite a wick upon the actuation of a snuifer arm to uncover the wick.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a novel, single operation cigar lighter structure having means for uncovering a wick and means for igniting said. wick upon such uncovering thereof interengaged with said rst mentioned means.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a novel, single operation cigar lighter structure containing resilient means coordinating the snuffer arm and flint cutting wheel so that the actuation of the snulfer arm to remove it from the snuliing position simultaneously actuates the iint cutting wheel to ignite an inflammable wick.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a novel cigar lighter structure containing means for raising a snuffer arm,

igniting an inflammable wick, and thereafter returning the snuifer arm to snufling position.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention than those hereinabove mentioned will appear more .fully hereinafter. lt is to be understood, that the specic form. shown is merely illustrative and `hence the detailed description thereof is not to be taken as limiting the-invention itself.

The invention consists substantially in the combination, construction, location, and relative arrangement of parts, all as will be more fully pointed out hereinafter.

ln the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of my novel, automatic cigar lighter with the side plates which coverthe upper plate structure removed;

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the snuffel` arm raised and the side plates in position;

Fig. 3 isa sectional plan view taken along the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 looking downwardly towards the lighter with certain parts shown broken away;

Fig.'4 is a sectional side view taken on the stantial diiliculty-has been encountered in the provision of a single operation cigar lighter wherein thumb pressure upon a single element functioned to raise a snu'ler arm and simultaneously rotate a flint cutting wheel to provide a shower of sparks adapted to ignite an iniammable wick. Various attempts have been made to provide a practical, operative structure wherein the mere pressure of the thumb upon a single movable element brought a given cigar lighter into operative condition and' ignited the same, while the removal of the pressure of such thumb permitted the return of the cigar lighter to statu quo. Structures have been devised wherein the pressure of the thumb is directed downwardly toward the top plate of the lighter, carries with it a plunger, raises a sectional snufer arm from` a wick and due to a ratchet-catch cam action spins a cutting wheel. Diiculties have been encountered in the operation of such structure due to the catchingedect of the various elements, sluggishness, lack of ruggedness, ditliculty of manipulation and general instability of parts. It is the purpose of this invention to provide a novel cigar lighter structure wherein there are obviated all the aforementioned defects and wherein there is provided a` mechanism adapted to give single operation action upon the pressure of the thumb along a line parallel to the plane of the top plate of the lighter. It has been found that when there 1s provided suitable structure so that pressure may be brought to bear along a line parallel to the plane of the cigar lighter top plate that most of the defects .hereinbefore recited are obviated, inasmuch as it is then possible to secure a simplied structure not subject to catching,

wearing or instability.

.tion in the slot.

Referring now specifically to the drawing it will be seen that in Figure 1 we show a general lighter body structure 1, of the usual type. Internally thereof there is mounted a plate 2 which shuts oit the body 3 containing the volatile fluid from the operating mechanism. Passing through this top plate there is a tube 4 and a second tube 5, the first of which tubes is adapted to act as a pyrophoric element containing tube,l and the second of which tubes is adapted to act as a wick tube. The pyrophoric element containing tube 4 it will be seen extends from the bottom of the lighter 6 right through plate 2 to the top 7 thereof. The wick tube 5, however, merely @arts at the plate 2 and runs to the top 7. The wick which passes therethrough is allowed to be freely immersed in the volatile liquid proper or in the cotton soaked with the volatile liquid that may be contained within the body portion 3 of the lighter 1. Located above the plate 2 is a hollowed out portion 8 into which fits the operating mechanism to be more fully described hereinafter. There also appears in Figure 1 at the top of the plate 7 a large portion of the operating mechanism. This operating mechanism is visible since the side plates 9 which normally cover it are not shown for' purposes of simplicity. There also appears atop the plate 7 the collar 10 through which the wick 11 extends. Mounted at the top of the plate there is also a wick snuHer arm 12 shown in snuiiing position, and a thumb lug 13 having a body portion 14 (see Fig. 3), which body portion is slotted at 15 to carry therein a pin 16 adapted to up and down mo- This pin 16 secures the snuer arm 12 to the body portion 14 by passing therethrough. Mounted internally of the snuii'er arm 12 and upon the lpin 16 there is a ratchet bar 17 and a washer 18 against which a spring 19 acts to continuously cause ratchet bar 17 to seat in line with a ratchet Wheel 2O geared thereto and to hold said ratchet bar 17 in xed angular relation with the wick snuer arm 12 at the beginning of its stroke so that rotation of said snufer arm 12 on its pivot causes a ,corresponding rotation of said ratchet bar, the advantages of which will be pointed out more fully hereinafter. In effect, therefore, aside from theaction of the spring -19 to vhold the ratchet bar in alignment with the wheel 20 it also performs the function of tending to keep the ratchet bar atA any angular positionrinto which it may come 'with respect to the wick snuffel' arm 12 so that the angular play which the ratchet bar has into and out of contact with the ratchet wheel at any point along its stroke is the same angular play that the wick snuter arm has at the same point along the stroke of the ratchet bar. Mounted to revolvevwith ratchet Wheel 20 is the Hint cutting wheel 21 which is mounted over the pyrophoric element containing tube 4 through which a pyrophoric element or flint is pushed into contact with said wheel. The purpose of spring 19 is, as aforementioned, to secure the proper alignment of the various parts, Disposed bctween one or 'two .of the first few turns of said spring 19 is the end of spring 22 which spring operates to push shaft 16 and therefore arm 12 and body 14 all the way back into a normal position wherein arm 12 seats over the wick, and the ratchet bar 17 has been carried back for a forward stroke upon renewed pressure upon 13. The thumb unit 13 and the body 14 are slidable upon the application of pressure in a second body 23 (see Fig. 5) and in order that it may slide therein grooves 24, 24 and 25, 25 are provided in said body 23. Tangs indicated by numerals 26, 26 and 27, 27 are afiixed to the body 14 and adapted to slide in the grooves mentioned. The side plates 9 which tit over the top structure and cover up the metal stamping are joined at 28 to the top of the wick tube 10. The snutfer arm 12 is, of course, pivoted in the upper portion of the extending body 23 by means of a pivot which passes therethrough4 marked 29. This pivot pin 29 may be of a length sufficient to extend through the side plates 9 and secure the same tothe lighter structure by riveting over ot the ends thereof or the like. In Figs. 1 and 2 the slot 24 and tang 26 only appear. It will thus be seen from the structure as disclosed that pressure on the unit 13 operates to move the body'14 longitudinally across the top of the lighter and within the body- 23 which extends partly below the top plate 7 and into the lighter portion 8. Upon such motion of the body portion 14 it slides across the top of the lighter with its tangs riding in their slots. As it slides across the top of the lighter the pin 16 is caused to move down towards the bottom of the slot 15 thereby raising the snuffer arm 12. Simultaneously therewith the ratchet bar 17 is raised and brought into operative engagement with the ratchet wheel 20 and as the body 14 slides more and more across the top of the lighter the cam like shape of the ratchet bar allows tooth after tooth on the ratchet bar to fit into tooth after toothV on the wheel 20 and rotate the same. The rotation of wheel 20 carries therewith 21 which is a flint cutting wheel thereby causing the flint to be cut and emit a shower of sparks which, being directly in line with the inflammable wick, ignite the same. Upon the cessation of pressure, upon the portion 13, that is when the body 14 has been slid into body 23 as far as it will go and the snuer arm 12 is completely up, two things have taken place-(1) the snuffel' arm has been raised allowing the inflammable wick to be exposed to the hot shower of sparks, and (2) the hot operates to return t `Leraars shower ofsparks have been emitted and ig-k nited the wick. Upon the release of pressure the spring 22 plressin upon the pin 16 e snu er arm 12 to normal position causes the pin 16 to ride up in its slot 15 thereby bringing 13 and 14 back to normal and also carrying back therewith the ratchet bar `17 for a second and new stroke. stroke the ratchet bar 17 is permitted to drop a little away from the Wheel '2O so that it may easily be returned on the returnstroke without a spinning or return revolution of the wheel 20, thus the ratchet wheel is always turned in just one direction. It is, of course, to be understood that the desired one way action could be provided for by properly shaping the teeth on theratchet and pawl Wheels, as well as providing for the droppingI away oi the ratchet from the pawl wheel at the end of the stroke. In practice, it may be found desirable to combine both of these, or to devise other expedients to attain this end, and we do not intend therefore to limit ourselves to either or both of the expedients mentioned.

Any usual or well known means may be employed for inserting and projecting the pyrophoric element in the structure, for example, the tube 4 may extend vertically through the structure with one opening d1- rectly under the fiint -wheel 21 and the other opening terminating in the base 6 with a removable cap therefor indicated at 30 between which cap and the pyrophoric element may, if desired, be positioned a coiled spring in the usual well known way. y

It will thus be seen that we have provided a novel cigar lighter structure Wherein there is contained single operation means so arranged that when lateral pressure is brought to bear upon a portion of the lighter, designated as a thumb portion, that there results a novel coaction of elements wherein a wick snuier arm is removed from an inflammable wick and a shower of sparks is immediately thereafter thrown thereupon to ignite the same.

It will be further observed that we have provided a resilient return means and a novel method of correlating and allocating our various parts. Inasmuch as many changes may be made in the above construc' tion and many apparently widely and different embodiments of the scope of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof it is intended that all matter hereinabove contained or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in any way limiting.

What we claim as new and useful and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is;

1. In a structure substantially of the type At the early part of the backward described, a snuffel' arm, a. snuer-arm removing and wick-exposing mechanism, horizonta ly actuated means pivotally carried by the snutfer arm and interengagedv at its pivot with said mechanism for i tending to return said snuffer-arm to snuing condition and said horizontally actuated `means to preignition condition.

2. In a cigar lighter structure substantially of the type described, a Wick tube, a flint tube, a snufer arm seated with its snuing element over said wick tube, a iint cutting wheel mounted over said Hint tube, a ratchet wheel attached to said flint cuttin wheel, a ratchet bar pivotally carried by sai snuil'er arm to actuate said ratchet wheel and iint cutting wheel, means to actuate said ratchet bar and to simultaneously remove the said wick snuier arm to uncover the said wick and ignite the same, and means adapted upon the completion of the lighting opera# tion to return said wick snuier arm to snuffing condition and freely return said ratchet bar out of contact with the teeth of the ratchet wheel to its original condition.

3. In a single operation cigar lighter, a stationary element, a slidable movable element, a ratchet mechanism pivoted thereon, a snuer arm pivotally mounted on said stationary element and engaged with said ratchet mechanism at the pivot thereof4 whereby when the movable element is moved the snuffer arm is raised and the ratchet mechanism moved, a pyrophoric element, a flint wheel. associated with said pyrophoric element, a ratchet wheel, mounted on the same shaft iting said wick `upon its being exposed, an means normally loo` therewith and in operative position with respect to said ratchet mechanism for actuation thereby upon movement of the slidable movable element.

4. In a cigar lightr structure substantially of the type described, a wick snuter arm, a ratchet wheel, a pivoted ratchet arm of predetermined shape which when in normal po- -sition is at one end of its stroke and has its teeth engaging with the teeth of said ratchet wheel, a thumb piece mounted at the top of said structure, means whereby thumb pressure when applied to said thumb piece in,a line Taralled to the top plate of said lighter acts to cause said ratchet arm when goin through its stroke to s in said ratchet whee and means to norm ly return said thumb piece to its original position and said ratchet arm to its withdrawn position with its teethout of contact with those of the ratchet wheel.

5. In a cigar lighter, an inflammable wick, wick snuiing means and wick igniting means and a slidable member having a slot therein operativel ,engaged at said slot with said wick igniting means and wick snuiin g means,

y igniting means toignite tbe wick upon the application to said slidable member of a force parallel to the top of the lighter.

6. In a cigar lighter substantially of the type described having spark producing means, a body member, a slottedmember slidable therewithin, a wick snuiier arm pivoted on said body member, a pincarried by said snuier arm and adapted to lwork in the slot in said slidable member, and means pivoted on said pin for operating the spark producing means upon actuation of said slidable member.

7. In a lighter, the combination of a casing, a snufl'er arm pivoted intermediate of its ends on said casing, an igniting mechanism located between the pivot of the snuier arm and one end of the snuier arm, a horizontally movable operating member located at the o pposite side of the pivot of said-snuffer,

4arm and mounted for movement Atoward said pivot, an actuating rack for operating said igniting means, and a. connection between said rack and said slidable operating member and the end of the snutl'er arm located on the opposite side of the pivot of the snulfer arm with respect to the igniting means.

8. In a lighter, the combination of a casing, a, wick locatedA at one end of the casing, a snuer arm cooperating with said wick and of a width substantially the width of the casino' and pivoted at a point between its ends to said casing, an igniting mechanism located under said snuer arm, a pressure member mounted onsaid casing on the side opposite from that on which the wick is located for movement in the direction toward and from said wick, an operating rackbr the like cooperating with said igmting mechanism, and a connection between said rack and said pressure member and the end of the snufter arm located on the opposite side of the pivot from that of the wie In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands on this 2Zth day of August, A. D.

1929, and this 26thday of September, A. D. 1929, respectively.

JAMES' F. ROGERS.

EDWARD F. CLARK. 

